Benelux Tour 10: Luxembourg

Monday, 08.08.2022
Route: Malmedy-Luxembourg (partly by train)
miles driven: 24
Weather: sunny and warm

Calling today a biking day is actually a lie, as it is more of a train day. Thanks to the intensive research the night before, I know that there is a train from the small town of Trois-Ponts to Luxembourg City, and it's only about 20km to get there. I follow a different bike path than in the previous days through the beautiful, hilly Wallonia and I'm almost a little disappointed to arrive so soon. The train ride from Trois-Ponts to Luxembourg costs me €3.70 and €4 for my bike. For that, I can expect a 1.5 hour train ride through beautiful Belgian and North Luxembourgish landscapes (I really need to come back here!). The train is almost empty, quite new, and the train attendants are nice. Germany could take a leaf out of their book.

Once I arrive in Luxembourg, I have some time until my train home. I ride my bike through the old town of Luxembourg, which delights me because the buildings are more yellow and not made of red brick like in Dutch and Flemish cities. The old town is mixed with many new elements made of glass, and all in all, the city is quite hilly - just like its surroundings. I grab something to eat (the prices here match the city's reputation as a financial center) and make my way back to the train station.

Thanks to the €9 ticket, I can travel home affordably. However, it takes 9 hours (from 3:30 PM until half past midnight), 5 transfers (in Trier, Mannheim, Osterburken, Lauda, and Würzburg), and a lot of nerves (overly full bicycle compartments, not enough seats). But I also enjoy the company of some really nice and helpful people, the diverse landscapes of our beautiful Germany passing by, and the pick-up service by my husband in Nuremberg.

A very successful trip comes to an end and I can only say that I will definitely travel to Eastern Belgium and Northern Luxembourg again, as I'm a big fan of low mountain ranges and will definitely get my money's worth there, even if the areas are not known as major tourist must-sees (at least in my area).